I would love to say this is my grandma’s recipe, but it’s really just what I had on hand. I have fond memories of eating my grandmother’s lentil soup. So tasty. Mine, well, it is tasty, but nothing close to the same as Abuela’s. It’s more of a “kitchen sink” kind of soup. All the random items I had left over that needed to be used.
Kitchen Sink Lentil Soup
4 strips of bacon – diced
1 medium onion – diced
1 half butternut squash – diced
handful of new potatoes – diced – optional (I had a few left over)
5 gloves garlic – chopped
1 box chicken stock
3 cups water
2 cups lentils
3 bay leaves (small)
1 link Kielbasa sausage – cut into disks
4 cups chopped kale
Sauté bacon until crisp in cast iron dutch oven pot. Reserve bacon till for later (topping). Sauté onion, butternut squash, garlic and potatoes til translucent and slightly soften in bacon fat. Salt and pepper veggies. Sauté around 10 minutes. Add more oil if you don’t have enough bacon fat to coat the veggies. Then add the chicken stock and water. Salt and pepper again – especially if you are using the reduced sodium stock. Bring to boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Add lentils and 3 bay leaves. Simmer another 30 minutes. Lentils should be al dente. Add in the sausage, simmer another 5 mins then add the kale and cook another 5 mins. Check seasonings. Lentils should be cooked, but not mushy. Serve in bowls with reserved bacon on top. Enjoy!
